§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health if he is aware that his officers con- 1318W nected with the national health insurance have recently decided to charge against the funds of local insurance committees the cost of investigating excessive prescribing, and that these investigations are carried out for the purposes of his Department; whether he will arrange for the necessary expenses incurred to be borne by his Department and not imposed upon the local insurance committees; and whether he will state the names of the local insurance committees who have represented to this effect?
§ Sir K. WOODThe hon. Member is under a misapprehension in suggesting that there has been any change of policy in this matter. It was always intended that the cost of the investigations to which he refers should be met from the funds available for the administration expenses of insurance committees. My right hon. Friend is advised that the preparation of the statistical returns in question is properly a duty of these committees and he sees no justification for transferring the charge to the Exchequer. Representations in the sense indicated in the question were received from the insurance committees for Berkshire, Middlesex, the West Riding of Yorkshire, Birkenhead, Brighton, Liverpool, Reading and Wigan.